Outside of the wide receiver position, cornerback was a major area of need for the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out of free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.
That might not be the case anymore.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported Wednesday morning that veteran CB Cameron Sutton was at the facility for a meeting with the Steelers and is expected to sign a one-year, veteran minimum contract with the Black and Gold in a reunion.
Of course, the circumstances are concerning as to how the Steelers and Sutton got to this point, considering he was released by the Detroit Lions following an arrest warrant in Florida for domestic violence in March. But from a purely football standpoint, the Steelers strengthened their cornerback room in a big way with the addition of Sutton.
During an appearance on the “North Shore Drive Podcast” with host Christopher Carter, the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo said the move is a strong one for the Steelers as it gives them an answer in the slot and adds a chess piece to the secondary.
“Look at it from a football perspective. The Steelers’ secondary just got a whole heck of a lot better, didn’t they?” Fittipaldo said of the Sutton signing, according to video via the Post-Gazette on YouTube. “You slot him in. He doesn’t have to be an outside corner anymore. You mentioned he struggled a little bit last season with the Lions. I thought he was okay for the Steelers in that role, but he’s getting a little bit older, but he’s a guy who can play anywhere in the secondary. He could play slot corner for you. He’s gonna be a chess piece. He can play safety, can play everywhere that you want in any of your sub-packages. So they’re gonna be very creative with him.”
Prior to the Sutton news Wednesday, the Steelers added Grayland Arnold to the cornerback room as well, giving Pittsburgh another option in the slot to compete with rookie undrafted free agent Beanie Bishop Jr. and veteran Josiah Scott. But now with Sutton in the fold, it appears the slot job will go to the former Steeler, who was solid in that role in 2022 before leaving for the Lions.
During his time in Pittsburgh, Sutton played all over and was that chess piece, especially in 2022. He handled an outside role at times, played in the slot, and even had some reps at safety in sub-package football. That allowed the Steelers to move Minkah Fitzpatrick around in search of play-making opportunities.
Sutton was quite good in that role in 2022, grading out at a 71.6 overall from Pro Football Focus in 931 snaps. That included allowing just 36 receptions for 411 yards and four touchdowns, breaking up eight passes while intercepting three.
He had some issues in Detroit playing primarily on the outside under Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Now, he gets to return to a familiar role in Pittsburgh as he attempts to get his career back on track after an ugly situation off the field that led to his arrest.
“He knows the system. From a strictly a football perspective, this is a very good signing for the Steelers,” Fittipaldo said. “I know there might be some concern on some of the part of the fan base about what he went through this offseason, but strictly from a football perspective, this move made the Steelers stronger today.”
The move certainly makes the Steelers stronger from a football perspective. There is no denying that. Sutton plugs a major hole defensively.
But it’s hard for many to look past the off-field transgression and the legal situation Sutton still finds himself in.
